Police in Queensland, Australia, are investigating the death of a 19-year-old Canadian woman after her body was found on a beach on Monday, reportedly surrounded by dingoes.

Police were called to the beach on K’gari, formerly called Fraser Island, at 6:35 a.m. local time, according to a news release. The woman had reportedly gone for a swim around 5 a.m.

In a news conference, Insp. Paul Algie said the Canadian citizen had been working at a backpacker’s hostel on the island for the past six weeks, according to ABC News. She told friends she was going for a swim.

Two men found her body on the beach and called the police, he said. She was confirmed dead shortly after police arrived.

“We simply can’t confirm whether this young lady drowned or died as a result of being attacked by dingoes,” Algie told local media in a news conference.

“There were marking on her body consistent with being touched and interfered with by the dingoes.”

Algie told local media the Queensland police have reached out to the RCMP to inform the woman’s family. CBC News has contacted the RCMP and Global Affairs Canada for more information.

In a post on X, Queensland police asked anyone with relevant information to come forward.

A ‘horrific’ scene

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, two men were driving near the beach north of Maheno Shipwreck when they saw a pack of about 10 dingoes surrounding the woman’s body.

“It was obviously a very traumatic and horrific scene for them to uncover,” Algie said in the news conference.

The Maheno Shipwreck is one of the most famous landmarks on K’gari, and is located on 75 Mile Beach. According to the Fraser Tours website, tourists travel from all over the world to take sunrise photos at the wreck.

“She was a young woman enjoying a beautiful part of the world, and that’s what makes this such a tragedy,” Algie said.

Dingoes are protected on K’gari as a native species, notes the Queensland government Parks and Forests website.